Nofer



P. NOFER ETAL 3,123,241

March 3, 1964 CLOSURE COVER FOR CONTAINERS MADE OF RIGID MATERIAL 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed April 18. 1960 March 3, 1964 NOFER L 3,123,241

CLOSURE COVER FOR CONTAINERS MADE OF RIGID MATERIAL Filed April 18, 1960 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 March 3, 1964 p, NOFER ETAL 3,123,241

CLOSURE COVER FOR CONTAINERS MADE OF RIGID MATERIAL Filed April 18. 1960 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 I y i Q) I 1 f- I I preserved foods or conserves.

United States Patent 3,123,241 CLOSURE COVER FOR CONTAINERS MADE OF RIGID MATERIAL Paul N ofer and Heinrich Eherhardt, both of Schoofstr. 6, Brunslbuttelkoog, Germany Filed Apr. 18, 1960, Ser. No. 23,050 Claims priority, application Germany Apr. 20, 1959 3 Claims. (Cl. 215-39) This invention relates to closure covers for containers of the type having a wide neckand/or a large opening, and which are formed of a substantially rigid material such as glass, sheet metal or synthetic plastic material, and which are suitable, for example, for accommodating It is conventional to use a prefabricated, substantially cap-shaped metal cover, provided with a packing liner if necessary, and consisting of thin, soft substantially non-elastic sheet metal, whose side wall in the closed position of the cover is subjected to radial pressure and is adapted to be deformed to adapt itself approximately to the shape of the outer wall of the cover.

A principal object of the invention is to provide a closure cover of the above noted kind which is particularly adapted for universal use inasmuch as it is suitable for containers having different outer wall configurations in the vicinity of the mouth of the container.

According to our embodiment of the invention, the side wall of the cap-shaped cover is provided with stamped, vertically or approximately vertically disposed grooves or ribs which are spaced from one another at intervals about the periphery and which are adapted to be deformed partly for adaptation of the cover to the shape of the outer wall of the container. The rim of the side wall of the cover is beaded-over (rolled-over) outside the region of the grooves or ribs. A closure of this kind has the advantage that the cover, when applied to a container is held uniformly and securely on the con tainer with uniform tightness, this being achieved through a plurality of fixing points distributed uniformly around the cover periphery and formed by partial deformation of the grooves on the beads on the outer wall of the container. Also, the projections of the cover are situated behind a bead on the container.

The container wall can comprise, for example one or cmore annular beads. The grooves or ribs of the cover in this case are deformed due to radial forces applied during the sealing operation at the container bead 0r beads and the ribs may extend below one or more container beads. The container can then be opened by applying a force to slide the cover upwards over the beads.

The container wall may, alternatively, be provided with a single-start or multiple-start external thread. In this case, due to the fact that the grooves or ribs are partly deformed during the sealing operation by the action of radial forces, the closure cover forms a screw-top closure which can be opened and closed repeatedly by turning the cover manually and which grips uniformly and securely over its entire periphery.

A particular advantage of the invention is that the cover adapts itself automatically to any irregularities of the container mouth, and more particularly to deviations from the conventional circular shape, and the cover also adapts itself to unevennesses on the rim of the container mouth.

The pattern formed by the ribs or grooves on the outer side of the side wall of the cover makes the cover particularly easy to grip firmly and this facilitates rotating the cover by hand. There are no sharp edges on the cover rim which might cause hand injuries.

The cover can be applied to the container by first 3,123,241 Patented Mar. 3, 1964 exerting axial pressure on the loosely positioned cover, compressing an inserted packing which may be provided and which bears on the rim of the container mouth, and then by exerting radial pressure on sides in order to adapt the cover to the shape of the outer wall of the container. The cover can be applied by means of an axially guided and radially yieldable tool (sealing head) which is known per se.

By appropriate selection and arrangement of the packing in the cover, which is placed over the rim of the container mouth, and by suitable choice of the thickness of the sheet metal used for the cover and the kind of sheet metal used, a closure cover according to the invention can be used for all desirable kinds of seals, for example for so-called breathing seals (vacuum seals) wherein an internal pressure produced by the temperature increase during boiling can be equalized by the escape of air from the inside towards the outside. Air, however, cannot enter in opposite direction from the outside to the inside. The closure can also be used for hermetically sealed closures (instantaneous seals), wherein air cannot pass from the inside to the outside nor from the outside to the inside.

In accordance with a further advantageous construction of the closure cover according to the invention for vacuum sealing, the side wall of the cover when finally mounted on the container comprises at one or more regions distributed uniformly over its periphery a radial swelling (nose) in the region of which there is situated an area of locally reduced retaining force on the cover periphery and, as a result, there is a preferred yieldable area of the sealing device for equalizing the pressure difference between the interior and the exterior.

A nose of this kind affords various advantages: When fixing the cover by the use of radial force, compression of the material in the peripheral direction is avoided, and this is more particularly so in the region of the beading on the cover rim. Furthermore, for boiling the contents of the container, the yieldable area of the cover limits the pressure rise due to the possibility of pressure equalization occurring at a specific excess pressure. Furthermore, the first opening of the cover by hand without the use of a tool is facilitated both as regards containers with and without retaining beads and also as regards containers provided with threading. In all these cases, by rotating the cover by hand and applying a certain amount of force, the vacuum seal can be released easily and without the assistance of a tool. In the case of containers without threading, the first opening of the container can also be effected by gripping the container in both hands so that the thumbs are situated below the cover projection (nose) and by sliding the said nose upwards by means of the thumbs so that the cover is lifted and the retaining force is overcome.

If there is no thread on the cover, the side wall of the cap-shaped cover provided with the nose or noses can also be made smooth with the grooves or ribs omitted.

The invention is also concerned with a method which permits the formation of the nose when applying the cover, a modification of a sealing head, known per se, being adapted to be used for applying the cover to the container for carrying out the aforesaid method. The invention is also concerned with a special construction of the container in conjunction with the closure cap produced in accordance with the new method for securing the cover against accidental lifting.

The invention will be next explained in greater detail by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a view, partly in section, of a prefabricated cover which is to be used as a closure according to one embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a View, likewise partly in section, of a finished, screwable closure according to another embodiment of the invention;

FIGS. 3, 4- and 5 are sectional views, on enlarged scale, illustrating various possible shapes for the grooving in the side walls of the cover;

FIGS. 6 and 7 illustrate in section two commonly used container wall configurations with surrounding beads onto whichand also onto the threaded container according to FIG. 2-it is possible to apply identical covers according to the invention;

FIG. 8 shows, partly in section, a further prefabricated cover which is shorter than the cover shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 9 shows in section the upper portion of a container made of rigid material and having a wide mouth, which container is provided with a fully applied closure cover with a nose;

FIG. 10 is a view from below showing the cover with the nose;

FIG. 11 is a view, partly in section, of the sealing head adapted to be used for effecting the method;

FIG. 12 is a View of an elastic annular strip of rubber adapted to be used in such a sealing head, with the modification to be made thereto in order to carry out the new method;

FIG. 13 shows further possible constructional forms of the annular strip; and

FIG. 14 is a fragmentary view illustrating a modification of the cover of FIG. 8.

The cover 1 may, but need not, be provided with a central indentation 2 as shown in FIG. 1, which acts as an inner centering means. An annular packing 3 is situated above the rim of the container mouth and consists of a ring of sealing material which is inserted in the cover and can be glued-in, pressed-in, sprayed-in or mechanically secured behind projections. The side wall or depending flange of the cap-shaped cover is provided as shown in FIG. 1 with a ring of stamped grooves 4 between which there remain zones 5 preferably in the form of rectangles. This gives the periphery of the cover a pattern which is handy to grip. The lower rim 6 of the cap-shaped cover is in this case beaded-over externally. It may, also, be beaded-over internally.

When the cover is applied, as FIG. 2 shows, the packing 3 is pressed with axial pressure against the mouth rim of the container 7. Then by simultaneous transmission of radial forces from all sides the mean diameter of the side wall is narrowed or reduced by a combined drawing and compressing operation, in which the vertical grooves 4 also move inwardly and approximately radially. These abut against the projections on the outer wall configuration of the container 7, are locally deformed and thereby form a chain of retaining points 9, 1i distributed about the periphery of the container mouth.

As FIGS. 3 to 5 show, the grooves it) have a pointed, V-shaped form 4', an approximately arcuate shape 4" or a flat shape 4". Instead of threading as shown in FIG. 2, the container can also have an encircling, rounded head 7' and a squared abutment ring (FIG. 6) or a shape as indicated at '7", with an encircling, narrow rounded bead (FIG. 7).

In the prefabricated cover 11 of FIG. 8, the parts designated as 12, 13, 14, 15 and 16 correspond to the parts 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 of the cover 1 in FIG. 1. If the beadedover ring 16 as shown in FIG. 14 is so arranged that the diameter of the bead 16 is equal to or approximately equal to the diameter of the side wall, the cover rim is given increased rigidity even with a shorter side wall in relation to the proportions of the cover according to FIG. 1, i.e. with a particularly low cover.

As FIG. 9 shows, the rigid container 17 is provided at the outer side of the container mouth with a retaining bead 18 of rounded cross-section and a squared abutment bead 19 which finishes approximately flush with the rim of the cover if! placed on the container mouth, the

beaded-over rim of the said cover being spaced at only a very short distance from the said abutment bead. The radial projection (nose) 2% of the cover side wall, which is formed when applying the cover in accordance withthe method according to the present invention, projects slightly outwards beyond the said abutment bead. At that region of the periphery at which this projection is situated, if an excess pressure builds up in the closed container, air can escape preferably from the inside towards the outside. It is not difiicult, by suitable dimensioning of the projection 2% to prevent air from subsequently entering the container from the outside.

At the position 2, indicated in FIG. 10, on the upper side of the cover immediately above the projection 20 it is possible to arrange a mark such as a point or an arrow, for example, by stamping with the use of the sealing head during the working operation in which the cover is applied.

The sealing head illustrated in FIG. 11 comprises a cylindrical guide 23 which is movable in a housing 22 and which carries at its lower end a cylinder flange 24 in which a disc 26 is movable in opposition to the action of the spring 27 by means of a guide rod 25. The cylinder flange is fixed to a kind of cup or basket made of elastic sheet metal 28, which is provided with a plurality of narrow slots 29 which are situated at equal distances from one another over the periphery and which each merge into a round hole 3t This forms individual, independently resilient ring segments 31 which together make up an approximately complete hollow cylinder and whose lower ends 32 are curved outwards in order to be able to grip the cover 11 (not shown). Arranged about the ring segments 31 is a rubber ring 34 which is surrounded externally by a leaf spring (steel strip with its ends placed loosely one over the other) 35. About this there is placed a securing ring 36 with two flanges 37 which can be so connected by bolts as to adjust the width of the securing ring.

According to the invention, as shown in FIG. 12, in the angle region of one individual ring segment 31 the elastic annular strip 34 is provided with a substantially U-shaped recess 38 opening towards the mouth of the sealing head. As a result, the ring segment of the sealing head which is situated at the same region or" the periphery is given greater yieldability so that when the cover 11 is applied on the container 17 the nose-like projection 20 is produced. On the remainder of the periphery, the side wall of the cover is constricted by means of the other segments 31, without considerable compression in the peripheral direction of the beaded-over rim 16 of the cover side wail having to occur.

It may be advantageous for the elastic annular strip to consist of two separate layers instead of a single layer as shown in FIG. 12. At the right-hand half of FIG. 13, the elastic annular strip 34 is shown as consisting of two layers 34', 34', only the inner layer 34 being provided with a substantially U-shaped recess 33.

The forms shown in FIG. 13 have the result that the ring segment situated in front of the recess can freely be bent outwards to some extent but then encounters elastic resistance, which can be utilized for an appropriate shaping of the nose-like projection 24) on the cover rim.

We claim:

1. A structure comprising a vessel having a mouth portion and a bead on and encircling said mouth portion and defining an outer diameter for the vessel, a cover adapted for closing the mouth portion of the vessel, said cover including a substantially cylindrical depending flange of determinable height and a plurality of spaced inwardly extending parallel ribs on said flange defining grooves therebetween, said flange between said ribs being smooth and unobstructed, each rib axially traversing said flange and extending uniformly thereacross for substantially the entire height of the flange, said flange having a free end in the shape of a bead, said inwardly extending ribs on said flange cooperatively defining an opening for the cover of circular extent which is initially larger than the outer diameter of the vessel, said ribs on said flange being in locally deformed engagement with the bead on the mouth portion at distinct points distributed around the periphery of the vessel mouth portion while said flange between said ribs remains smooth when the flange is onwardly deformed towards said mouth portion of the vessel to secure thereby the cover onto the vessel.

2. A structure as claimed in claim 1 wherein said flange has a local zone in which the flange is less inwardly deformed than the remainder of said flange to provide a nose on said flange whereat increased pressure in the container may be relieved.

3. A structure as claimed in claim 1 wherein said bead on said vessel is in the form of a thread and each of the ribs is locally deformed at each location where the rib contacts the thread.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,405,112 Greenewald Jan. 31, 1922 1,495,722 Anderson May 27, 1924 2,091,295 Williams Aug. 31, 1937 2,168,565 Gibbs Aug. 8, 1939 2 ,253,023 Fabrice Aug. 19, 1941 2,280,724 Sharp Apr. 21, 1942 2,327,455 Punte Aug. 24, 1943 

1. A STRUCTURE COMPRISING A VESSEL HAVING A MOUTH PORTION AND A BEAD ON AND ENCIRCLING SAID MOUTH PORTION AND DEFINING AN OUTER DIAMETER FOR THE VESSEL, A COVER ADAPTED FOR CLOSING THE MOUTH PORTION OF THE VESSEL, SAID COVER INCLUDING A SUBSTANTIALLY CYLINDRICAL DEPENDING FLANGE OF DETERMINABLE HEIGHT AND A PLURALITY OF SPACED INWARDLY EXTENDING PARALLEL RIBS ON SAID FLANGE DEFINING GROOVES THEREBETWEEN, SAID FLANGE BETWEEN SAID RIBS BEING SMOOTH AND UNOBSTRUCTED, EACH RIB AXIALLY TRAVERSING SAID FLANGE AND EXTENDING UNIFORMLY THEREACROSS FOR SUBSTANTIALLY THE ENTIRE HEIGHT OF THE FLANGE, SAID FLANGE HAVING A FREE END IN THE SHAPE OF A BEAD, SAID INWARDLY EXTENDING RIBS ON SAID FLANGE COOPERATIVELY DEFINING AN OPENING FOR THE COVER OF CIRCULAR EXTENT WHICH IS INITIALLY LARGER THAN THE OUTER DIAMETER OF THE VESSEL, SAID RIBS ON SAID FLANGE BEING IN LOCALLY DEFORMED ENGAGEMENT WITH THE BEAD ON THE MOUTH PORTION AT DISTINCT POINTS DISTRIBUTED AROUND THE PERIPHERY OF THE VESSEL MOUTH PORTION WHILE SAID FLANGE BETWEEN SAID RIBS REMAINS SMOOTH WHEN THE FLANGE IS ONWARDLY DEFORMED TOWARDS SAID MOUTH PORTION OF THE VESSEL TO SECURE THEREBY THE COVER ONTO THE VESSEL. 